Ertegun
Prince Ertegun of Gerudo Valley was a descendant of the Dark Lord Ganondorf, and the crown prince of Gerudo Valley. Ertegun was very power-hungry since an early age, and foolishly aligned himself with Davik in order to take over the country of Hyrule. Ertegun created a treaty and bewitched the king and his Royal Council to sign it, but had a difficult time convincing Zelda. Ertegun eventually forced Zelda to sign the treaty and assassinated the king, leaving the throne open to him. However, despite now holding the throne, Ertegun now faced the threat of Link, the Hero of Time who sought to avenge his younger brother Kyrin. Ertegun went on a manhunt for Link, eventually luring him to Hyrule Castle in order to use him for a ritual that he believed would grant him the power of the Triforce. He succeeded in completing the ritual, but Link and Zelda escaped. Unfortunately for Ertegun, his lust for power proved to be his downfall. The ritual had all been part of Davik's plan to resurrect Ganon and end the Cycle of Eternity. Ganon, his soul embedded in Ertegun's body, took him over and killed him, allowing the Dark Lord to rise again. History Early Life Ertegun's early history is largely unknown. However, it is known that he was born to royalty, descended from Prince Ganondorf, and therefore, the rightful prince of Gerudo Valley. However, even in his youth, he was filled with the same insatiable lust for power that his ancestors had, and treated his people with cruelty. However, Gerudo Valley alone was never enough for him, and sought ultimate power in the form of the Triforce. Encounter with Davik One day, a man named Davik, one of the last remaining Sages (his element of control being darkness) who had betrayed his order out of disgust for humanity and the Cycle of Eternity came to Gerudo Valley. Davik manipulated Ertegun, promising that he could help him to conquer the nation of Hyrule and gain the Triforce. Ertegun, his lust for power blinding him, readily accepted Davik's offer. Davik also trained Ertegun in the dark arts, the young man's magical abilities running in Gerudian royal family. However, this would lead to his undoing, as the Sage of Darkness had a sinister agenda of his own. Coming to Hyrule Ertegun and Davik came to Hyrule, with the Gerudian Prince bringing with him a platoon of soldiers, consisting of both humans and moblins. Ertegun met with the Royal Council of Hyrule and proposed an alliance. When the king and the rest of the council proved lenient, he bewitched them into signing his treaty. However, the princess of Hyrule, Zelda, gifted with the Triforce of Wisdom, was immune to his deceit and bewitchment, and refused to sign the treaty that would give Ertegun the kingdom. However, as frustrated as Ertegun was, he pretended to be calm and confident in the face of Zelda's defiance. Campaign Against Zelda The king of Hyrule signing the treaty gave him half of the kingdom for himself, but Zelda's refusal to sign it left the other half untouched by the power-hungry prince. Ertegun tried many times to persuade Zelda, his attempts ranging from false acts of friendship to threats. One of his guards reported that the supplies stored at a village were stolen. This only enraged Ertegun further, but gave Davik an idea. The Sage of Darkness proposed that Ertegun go to the village where that same guard was posted and try to strengthen his authority there. Taking his advice, Ertegun went to the village with one of his guards, demanding expensive fines from the villagers in order to pay for the supplies that were stolen. However, Ertegun, in truth, did not care for the supplies that were stolen, merely intending to show Zelda the money he had gained and convince her to sign the treaty in order to prevent him from harming more people. These villagers included Malon and the boy who would later become his mortal enemy, Link. Meeting Link Ertegun approached Link in his farm at night and demanded one hundred forty rupees for the supplies. Link was at first openly defiant towards the usurper, but was forced to give him the demanded amount when he threatened to burn the farm down otherwise. When Link gave him the one hundred rupees he currently had, the Gerudian prince threatened him that he still owed him forty more, and that he wanted the money in a month, otherwise he would "make it memorable" for him. After this encounter, Ertegun eventually realized that Link was the next Hero of Time, and therefore, the only one who could defeat him. Marriage to Zelda The next day, Ertegun presented his exploits to Zelda, having driven most of the villagers he had charged into poverty, but the princess still refused to give in to his demands. Ertegun also mentioned his encounter with Link, unwittingly revealing to Zelda that the Hero of Time was arising to continue the Cycle of Eternity. However, despite another failure to persuade the princess to sign the treaty, Ertegun still threatened to make more people suffer should she try to interfere with his campaign. Frustrated, Ertegun once again consorted with Davik, who suggested one final option: marriage to the princess, which would force her signature on the treaty. Ertegun convinced the king (still under the prince's spell) to allow the marriage to happen, giving Zelda no choice but to accept Ertegun as her "husband". That night, the marriage went through, allowing Ertegun to sign the treaty. As his final step in his quest for power, Ertegun murdered the king (his guards doing nothing to save him, as most of them had been corrupted by Davik. The Gerudian prince then presented the dead king's crown to Zelda as a cruel sign of victory, and, feeling that he had won, banished Davik and proceeded to Link's village in order to kill the boy, despite the Sage of Darkness' protests. Category:The Sage of Darkness Category:Main Antagonists Category:Magic Users Category:Swordsmen Category:Murderers Category:Killers Category:Traitors Category:Deceased Category:Villains Category:Royalty Category:Dark Magic Users Category:Characters Who Were Betrayed